That novel was The Mirror Thief by Martin Seay. And today—as we celebrate its second birth, publishing it in nimble paperback form, with a gorgeous new cover—we thought we might revisit some of the steps it took along the way.

1. The Primordial Past: Martin Seay loves to read

In the faintest, earliest stirrings of the historical moment that would become The Mirror Thief, an earthling named Martin Seay was reading books. The books he read? Some in which “descriptions of landscapes gradually spell out a philosophical argument about the nature of the world.” Some that were “rooted in ideas about the ways our eyes do and don’t help us understand the world.” Click here to read Martin’s account of some of what he was looking at as The Mirror Thief coalesced.

2.It Begins: Martin writes The Mirror Thief

Our story begins in earnest during a long-forgotten historical epoch, known to chroniclers as “2002.” Back then, in a class taught by Richard Peabody, Martin received an assignment: to write a story “in which someone tells a story in which someone tells a story.” Click here to read Martin’s own account of how that humble homework assignment flowered into the majestic paperback we see before us today.

3. The Legend Grows: Booksellers get their hands on the thing

Soon, Melvilleans beheld the splendor of the Mirror Thief manuscript, and we knew our fate was to be joined with it forever. But how did we go about spreading the good word to booksellers? Short answer: The boss wrote letters. A lot of letters. Made it his mission. For a longer answer, click here to read the story of the unique bookseller outreach campaign that brought anticipation to a fever pitch. Then, check out this map, on which we charted the praise those booksellers heaped on the book:

In the days and weeks after its release, the booksellers who had first loved and championed The Mirror Thief continued to sing their admiration. Can you hear them? Listen! Listen!

7. The reviewers lost their damn minds

The critical response was, to be honest, a little crazy. “It’s amazing,” the New York Times Book Review wrote. “How this book got published is a complete mystery to me. Not because it is not good enough, but rather because it is too good.” In the Wall Street Journal, Sam Sacks wrote, “Mr. Seay has conjured his own kind of sorcery, a sophisticated thriller that keeps the pages turning even as it teases the mind.” NPR called it “transfixing.” Electric Literature called it “a masterpiece.” That’s just for a start.

8. At last, we cooked up a new recipe

Finally, as the winter that summer had grown into thawed into spring once again, we realized that The Mirror Thief had another turn to take. And so we cooked up one more delight: a paperback. Click here to see how it all happened.